Monday, March 27, 2017

Never Say Never: The Catholic Church and Gravity (Reason #374 We Became Catholic)

We all know that gravity is what pulls us towards objects that are heavier than us. The Catholic Church is that heavy mass in my life.  The only thing is, for literally years, I had no idea that its weight was acting on me the way it was. I was talking to a dear friend of mine today who informed me she didn't want to get my hopes up (she's completely done with the protestant church, and it has made her done with all church...) but - and it was a big, pregnant "but" - if she ever went back to church, it would only ever be the Catholic church. 

I laughed when she said this and told her that I had said pretty much the same words to the friend who ended up being my sponsor when our family came into the Catholic church.  I remember distinctly saying to her at dinner one night, "I love that you have found the Catholic church.  You are so artistic, it just makes sense... for you."  She was just so gracious and clever.  She went along with the little wall I had put up and left it up to God.  Best choice anyway really.

The issue: this church was acting on me, on us, drawing us in.    

Today, for example, I talked to my worn-out-with-church friend about how the universality of the Catholic church grabbed a hold of hubs and I.  Five years ago, we were at a hockey tournament in the US: a 3 hour drive from home.  We were scheduled to attend a team dinner.  Our Catholic friends arrived a little late and sat with us.  It was a Saturday evening.  We asked them where they had been and they told us they had been to church.  Hubs and I were dumbfounded.  

  • they hadn't been shopping at the outlet mall?
  • they chose to go to church when clearly they were off the hook? 
  • they felt like they could just walk into any old Catholic church and fit right in?
It was actually the last straw for us.  We went to our first mass the following Sunday and have been going ever since.  

One of the many happy reasons we are Catholic today is this business of the entire Catholic church around the world being our church.  The same is just as true today as it was 5 years ago when we went to that dinner.  Since that time, we've been to many, many parishes when we travel and walk in thrilled to go to mass with our brothers and sisters from around the world.  We've even been to non-English masses and been able to follow along with the liturgy - anticipating taking the Eucharist just as we do at home.

It simply resonates with Jesus' message to His apostles to go into all the world...

It turns out, when we do this 2000 years later, we find our home there.




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